Monday, November 23, 2009 10:03 - 0 Comments

The New Star in Texas

CEO and Editor of the Texas Tribune, Evan Smith doesn’t mind being “too niche”

( Evan Smith, CEO and Editor of the Texas Tribune. Photo by Joel Salcido)

Thousands of reporters have been laid off, but some are finding jobs over at newly-launched websites like the Texas Tribune. The public media company opened for business following an intense period geared toward raising most of the four million dollars that was targeted by the site’s launch date. “There is clearly a need for aggressive journalism,” said the website’s CEO and Editor in Chief Evan Smith. “People believe in what we are doing.”

After seeing many news organizations fail, editors like Smith are hoping that the non-profit models do pan out. And so far they seem to be surviving with names like, Pro Publica, Mother Jones, Spot.Us, and many others managing to tickle the fancies of donors who want to see journalism thrive, and in fact believe that this model might well be the future.

Voice of San Diego is another non-profit online newspaper proving that this model works, at least thus far. “At a time when for-profit companies are shedding jobs and shrinking rapidly, it surprises me sometimes how often people question the sustainability of the non-profit model,” said Editor Andrew Donohue. With a budget of slightly more than one million for this year, the company has received 40 percent of its donations from foundations, 30 percent from large donors, and the remaining 30 percent from small donors and corporate sponsorships.

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